NEWS
June 16, 2009
Do you agree with President Barack Obama and most Democrats in Congress that reform of the nation's health care system should include what's known as a "public option" - the opportunity for citizens to choose a government-sponsored insurance plan along with competing private plans? Yes 46% No 48% Not sure 6% (1,962 votes, results not scientific) Next poll: : Will Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that he accepts the idea of a Palestinian state help move the Middle East toward peace?
NEWS
By PAUL WEST and PAUL WEST,paul.west@baltsun.com | March 1, 2009
Washington -Rep. Chris Van Hollen figured his mission was complete after Democrats bulked up their majority in Congress last fall. Letting someone else lead the House campaign committee would free him to advance on the leadership ladder. And he'd avoid blame if the party lost ground in the next election. It's been more than a century since a party added seats in the situation Democrats find themselves in now. "We have our work cut out for us," says the Maryland congressman in an interview.
NEWS
By David Cho and Lori Montgomery and David Cho and Lori Montgomery,The Washington Post | January 10, 2009
WASHINGTON - Senior Bush administration officials, consulting with the Obama transition team, have prepared a plan to ask lawmakers for the second half of the $700 billion financial rescue package despite intense opposition in Congress, sources familiar with the discussions said. The initiative could create an unusual political scenario. If Congress were to vote down the measure, either President George W. Bush or President-elect Barack Obama would have to use his veto power to get the money.
NEWS
By Janet Hook and Christi Parsons and Janet Hook and Christi Parsons,Tribune Washington Bureau | December 1, 2008
As a congressman and leader of a party campaign committee, Rahm Emanuel helped 54 Democrats win the House seats they hold today. When Tom Daschle was the Senate Democratic leader, he contributed more than $1.5 million to help a new generation of lawmakers win office. Now, Emanuel and Daschle are key members of Barack Obama's incoming administration, and emblems of a top priority of the new White House team: They are trying to build sturdy bridges between the new White House and Democrats in Congress, coordinating their plans well before Inauguration Day. When lawmakers hear from the two prominent members of Obama's team, they will know that they are talking to people who not only have the president's ear, but who played important roles in putting many of them in Congress.
NEWS
November 6, 2008
A post-election postscript offers a chance to pick up where we left off on critical players in this historic election: Mac is back: In defeat, Sen. John McCain was a politician of striking grace and generosity. His warm tribute to President-elect Barack Obama recalled the John McCain who achieved success on tough issues such as campaign finance reform with compromise, respect and reaching across the aisle. His leadership will be needed in the new Congress. The Buffett factor: Despite Senator Obama's intention to raise taxes on the wealthy, 52 percent of voters earning $200,000 or more supported him, according to exit polls.
NEWS
By PAUL WEST and PAUL WEST,paul.west@baltsun.com | October 12, 2008
WASHINGTON - Every so often, luck and circumstance give birth to an accidental congressman or senator, a politician who lands in Washington mainly by being in the right place at the right time. Once in a very long while, those accidents come in droves. That's what happened when Ronald Reagan's 1980 landslide helped turn a six-pack of Republican nonentities into U.S. senators. None ever won a Senate election again, and their now-forgotten names (Jim Abdnor, Mark Andrews, Jeremiah Denton, John East, Paula Hawkins, Mack Mattingly)